State police to use extra patrols for busy holiday week

AUGUSTA, Maine — The summer tourist season is in full swing, and with the Independence Day holiday approaching, state police will deploy extra patrols on Maine’s highways.

Unmarked cruisers, aircraft and additional troopers will be used starting Friday and continuing through next week in an effort to keep motorists safe, Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said in a statement.

Troopers will be on the lookout for aggressive, impaired and distracted drivers while also enforcing seat belt regulations.

“Too many drivers are ignoring common sense by either texting or not using their seat belts and state troopers will be paying special attention to those violations throughout the summer,” State police Col. Robert Williams said in the statement.

The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety has awarded $250,000 of federal funding to agencies statewide paying for extra patrols over the summer. As of Thursday, 72 people have been killed on Maine roads in 2012, including 21 in the month of June alone.